Watford descended into chaos on the final day of school after hundreds of pupils gathered in the town centre.  

Footage circulating widely on social media shows teenagers hysterically charging around with some being put in the back of police vans.

Herts Police today (July 24) confirmed that two boys were arrested, one on suspicion of breaching the peace and another on suspicion of assault.

Watford Observer: Officers putting children into police vans.Officers putting children into police vans. (Image: TikTok)

“However, they were both de-arrested and taken home to their parents,” a spokesperson continued.

“Two further teenagers were taken home to their parents and all four will be dealt with appropriately.”

In videos online, hordes of youngsters can be seen stampeding around the upper floor of atria Watford, while others were sprinting down the high street.

Watford Observer: Teenagers charging around in the high street and atria Watford.Teenagers charging around in the high street and atria Watford. (Image: TikTok)

Elsewhere a large group were recorded jeering as someone was put into the back of a police van.

Two people were also seen clinging onto the back of a bus as it was moving.

At the time, a Herts Police spokesperson said they were called to reports of a “large crowd of young people” at atria Watford at around 2.25pm.

Watford Observer: Kids clinging to a moving bus and a group of police in atria Watford.Kids clinging to a moving bus and a group of police in atria Watford. (Image: TikTok)

“Officers immediately attended the scene and worked in liaison with the atria centre security staff to manage the crowd, as well as ensure the safety of the wider public,” they added.

A dispersal order was put in place, meaning all involved were required to leave the area, in a bid to clamp down on the antisocial behaviour.

Most of the children had left by 5pm, police said, with the Safer Neighbourhood Team set to contact local secondary schools to “discuss the incident and make plans to prevent future disorder”.

One woman posted on Facebook describing a large groups of children “causing trouble” and it being “very wrong”.

She said shop door entrances had to be “taped off” and a “shopkeeper had to break off from serving to stop kids helping themselves to drink machines, going to walk out and when challenged they say, ‘it’s free’”.

She added that some groups of children were “minding their own business”, while others “we encountered were very rude and abusive in their comments when just asked if they could move aside to let people pass”.